Livingston Man Indicted On Charges He Used Stolen Identity To Make Over $118,000 In Purchases

TRENTON –A Livingston man was indicted today on charges he obtained credit cards and lines of credit with a stolen identity and used them to make purchases of goods and services totaling approximately $118,723, Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced.

Diorgiton Silva, 29, a Brazilian national who formerly lived in Livingston, was indicted on charges of theft by deception (second degree), identity theft (second degree) and fraudulent use of a credit card (third degree). The charges stem from a joint investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice, U.S. Secret Service Newark Field Office, under the supervision of Special Agent in Charge Jacob Christine, and New York Field Office of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

It is alleged that between April 2005 and November 2009, Silva used the identity of a man who lives in Puerto Rico to obtain credit cards and lines of credit with retailers and financial institutions. He allegedly purchased approximately $118,723 in goods and services with the fraudulent credit.

Investigators allege that Silva used the man’s birth certificate and other identifying information to get a U.S. passport and a New Jersey identification card. With those documents, he allegedly secured the lines of credit, which he used to buy, among other things, an Infiniti car, a Honda motorcycle, furniture, clothing, and high-end televisions and stereo equipment. After making the purchases, he allegedly failed to make any payments to the retailers and financial institutions.

Silva was arrested on a warrant in January 2011 as a result of this investigation. Silva, who is not a U.S. citizen, is the subject of a detainer filed against him by federal immigration authorities.

Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000. The indictment is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The indictment was handed up to Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson in Mercer County, who assigned it to Union County, where Silva will be ordered to appear at a later date to answer the charges.

The charges against Silva are merely accusations; he is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.